Dr. Anthony Garcia accused of murdering 4 people in Nebraska

JONESBORO, Ill. (WSIL/CNN) - An Illinois doctor accused of murdering four people in Nebraska appeared in court Tuesday.

Dr. Anthony Garcia faced a judge in Union County court for being a fugitive from justice.

Garcia, a medical doctor from Indiana, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder for cases hundreds of miles away.

The cold cases in Omaha date back to 2008 when 11-year-old Thomas Hunter and a family housekeeper, Shirlee Sherman, were stabbed to death. Hunter was the son of a Creighton pathology professor.

In May, Omaha was rocked again when another pathology professor, Roger Brumback, and his wife, Mary, were fatally stabbed.

"The task force has been monitoring Dr. Garcia's movements for a period of time," said Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer.

Omaha authorities were closing in on their suspect, planning to search Garcia's home in Terre Haute on Tuesday, but an opportunity to arrest him came even earlier.

"Garcia was found here in southern Illinois on Monday, when he was pulled over on Interstate 57 near the Lick Creek exit. Police say he appeared to be intoxicated and had a handgun," said Chief Schmaderer.

In the court hearing, Tuesday, Garcia seemed confused by the charges.

"I got no phone call, and no one is telling me what's going on either," said Garcia.

There was also a mix up over an attorney hired to represent Garcia without his knowledge, with Union County receiving a call from a Chicago law firm.

And since Garcia's lawyer wasn't present, the hearing and the talks of sending him back to Omaha were put on hold until Wednesday.